Faction No Time To Die

[The Amalgam]

Location: Realm of the Brain Demon

Rebecca Hahn, a friend of Percival Io and Esmeralda Io along with Draco Miles , three who had risked their lives to destroy the Avatar of War had all ended up here for one reason or another. For Draco, she had gained access via a portal being opened by a crazy ass alternative version of Darth Xiphos from another reality. For Rebecca and Esmeralda, it had been them getting pulled in by The Brain Demon.

They had arrived in an endless realm of shadows, aboard a floating platform of rock, lined with pillars upon which danced multiple avatars the Eldritch Abomination known as The Brain Demon.

It was an emaciated, purple skinned Togrutan woman with no face. In case you're wondering what they were dancing to, it was Disco Inferno by The Trammps OOC, because The Brain Demon is insane AF.

The central Avatar awaited them over a reflecting pool of blood, which looked metal as Feth.

It helps if you think of being in the presence of The Brain Demon as a moment where you are essentially screwed.

No gif better conveys this feeling than this:

Kevin and the surviving Nuetralizers from the Avatar were there also. Even the Mechanical ones looked nervous, and they didn't scare easily. Kevin had made his Bargain for survival. He was already going to have to live with it.

Step forward, mortals... It hissed in their minds...

Step forward...and let us discuss a bargain...a lucrative one. I can take you anywhere... anywhere you want...


OOC Credit to Starlin for Gif

 

[Esmeralda Io]

Location: Realm of the Brain Demon
Tags: Percival Io Draco Miles The Amalgam

It didn’t take the Siren long to realize that her shotgun would do her no good here.

Had the choice to go through whatever portal or interdimensional doorway been presented, rather than foisted upon her in circumstances that were largely beyond her control, Esmeralda didn’t know whether or not she would have accepted. She had convinced herself that survival was possible without a miracle or an intervention from an ancient, mercurial entity worshiped by a cult of shape-shifting witches.

This truly was the most chaotic timeline.

Placing her shotgun on her back with a resigned sigh, Esmeralda glanced at the group of dancing avatars with a mixture of curiosity and anxious dread. Then, she looked to the primary avatar, a towering, purple-skinned Togruta who lacked a face, much to Esmeralda’s discomfort and horror. Nevertheless, the Echani didn’t dare let it show on her features, but she sensed that the Brain Demon already knew.

She was a Goddess, after all.

Step forward, mortals...Step forward...and let us discuss a bargain...a lucrative one. I can take you anywhere... anywhere you want...

Esmeralda felt a chill in her spine. She didn’t want to be the first, but being last wouldn’t make the price any less costly or severe. She would just be last, and that kind of sucked.

And so, with a deep breath and an uneasy glance spared towards Rebecca, Esmeralda stepped forward and presented herself to the Brain Demon.

Spoiler: Loadout

• FAE/A-04 “Apsara” Ultralight Combat Armor
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • L86 Pisces Compact Beam System - L
    • Wide-Beam Sonic Stunner - R
  • Undersuit
    
    • UL-14 "Virtus" Class Underlay
  • Energy Shield
    
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
  • Thighs
    
    • FAE/MDW-01 Active Defense System (2) - L/R
      
      • Seeking Anti-Warhead Nano Missiles - L
      • Pink Vapor Nano Missiles - R
  • Utility
    
    • Morðingja-class Personal Cloaking Device
• FAE/sW-01 "Shatterpoint" Machine Shotgun
  
  • 8 Round Box Magazines - 10 Gauge Slug
  • 8 Round Box Magazines - 10 Gauge Seismic
• PbDR-01 N.S.
• FAE/M-01 “Scherezade” Energized Vibroblade
• Class-A Thermal Detonator (4)

 

[Percival Io]

Rebecca was wide-eyed and slack-jawed as she rose to her feet on the platform. Really, what other reaction could she have? She had been sucked straight from a battlefield into this dark dimension, where shadowy figures on pillars danced to disco music. It was utterly insane.

She looked around, spotting a group of Neutralizers nearby who managed to look nervous despite the lack of expression on their skeletal faces, and Esmeralda, who had been with her on the Avatar of War. She stuck close to the latter, more out of familiarity than anything else.

There was only one positive to this situation she could see. They were alive, and though she was injured from the fight aboard the Avatar, Rebecca felt no pain whatsoever. Not even exhaustion and fatigue could touch her here.

As the main avatar of the Brain Demon whispered in her mind, Rebecca turned to face her... and realized the Brain Demon had no face. No eyes to meet hers, no lips moving as she spoke, no expressions to judge her mood by. The blank slate was unreadable. Perhaps that was the point.

Esmeralda was the first to step forward, presenting herself to the... eldritch being. A member of the Church of the Force, Rebecca refused to call the Brain Demon a goddess, just as she had declined to honor the Ashla as such. For her, the one true god was the Force itself. That had gotten her in trouble with the Crusaders who came to "liberate" her homeworld...

But right now, none of that seemed to matter. She was being faced with this thing that had saved her life, and now she had to pay its price. Following Esmeralda's lead, Rebecca walked toward the Brain Demon and stopped. She did not kneel or bow her head, but looked straight at the faceless Togruta with defiance in her gaze.

Esmeralda Io The Amalgam​

 

[Draco Miles]

Growing up on Mustafar made Draco rather acquainted to the hellscape. This metal Album cover of a dimension was akin to how her former master liked it, minus the nude corpses and other fluids scattered around an arena…

She stepped forward and looked at the faceless demon with growing disgust… how could one enjoy the beauties and heavenly tastes of food if one did not have a mouth?!

Step forward...and let us discuss a bargain...a lucrative one. I can take you anywhere... anywhere you want...

She absolutely despised mental powers, even just speaking in the head, it’s why she built her mental defenses so high. Though telepathic communication was also VERY important, especially in her line of work, so it was easy to speak within her mind. A bargain, eh?! She’ll see a bargain! She advanced the furthest of all the neutralizers to speak first

“I got tossed in here with a nuke, special delivery for Uhh…”

She stopped and looked down at the device, turning it over as if looking for a shipping label, then pulling it close and pretending to read said label

“Nutrient… storage… I’m assuming shipping and handling costs about Uh… 4 doubloons?”

She even held up 4 fingers, thankfully her helmet was on, to at least conceal her slight look of worry. She wasn’t exactly a business woman, so negotiating deals was not her strong suit

 

[The Amalgam]

As Esmeralda Io presented herself, followed by a defiant Rebecca, the Brain Demon chuckled.

"I have rescued you all from certain death. Therefore, a price is to be paid. You're really quite fortunate...you caught me all in a good mood. The Dark Side has punished Solipsis for his arrogance in trying to usurp reality. No matter what happens next the Maw will lick their wounds this day, losing so many champions...but that still leaves the issue of you three..."

The Brain Demon was deeply amused by their reactions, particularly Rebecca's.

"Of course, should you refuse to deal, I put you back on the Avatar...so! About your price..."

It "faced" Esmeralda first...

"Let's see. What shall your price be..."

It "stared" at her.

"I need a someone to run an errand to the very heart of Ession. It concerns the biological father of Xiphos."

It skipped right over Rebecca than to Draco.

"Ah,smartassery. Refreshing... everyone else except my worshippers always whimpers and begs me not to eviscerate them. I like you! But no. I'm afraid my previous price still stands for you: you must embrace the Dark Side when I request it."

Then it turned to Rebecca.

"Tell me, Rebecca...what would you give up to see your son again? I'm not asking for your soul..."


Percival Io

 

[Percival Io]

Rebecca hadn’t even noticed Draco’s presence until the armored dragon spoke. Even though Draco hadn’t been near her and Esmeralda, she too had been saved from certain death at the hands of the Brain Demon.

Now she was making her demands as payment for her services. Esmeralda was given a quest that would take her to Ession, the very heart of the Ashlan Crusaders’ territory. It was an unenviable position, to be sure.

Rebecca held her breath as the Demon finished with Esmeralda… only to deliberately skip over her in favor of Draco, who was ordered to embrace the Dark Side. The held breath was expelled in a gasp. But Rebecca didn’t allow herself to be tortured with worry as she pondered what it meant. The Demon had probably done it on purpose, deriving sadistic joy from leaving her hanging.

"Tell me, Rebecca… what would you give up to see your son again? I'm not asking for your soul..."

Rebecca began to sweat under the faceless abomination’s scrutiny. Less than a half hour ago, she had nearly thrown her life away for the cause. She could still feel the weight of the detonator in her hand, eternity looming ahead of her. She’d have left little Thel an orphan, but the Avatar of War would’ve been destroyed. That was the way of House Io, their warrior ethos stressing sacrifice for the sake of slaughter.

Though she hadn’t asked to be rescued, she was very grateful to be alive—and that meant she owed the Brain Demon a debt, whether she liked it or not. Rebecca was clever (it was one of the reasons Percival loved her), but she could see no way to outsmart the Demon in her own Realm.

“I suppose I have no choice but to accept whatever price you ask of me,” Rebecca replied. She held her head high, now more out of bravery than defiance.

The Amalgam Esmeralda Io Draco Miles​

 

[Esmeralda Io]

Location: Realm of the Brain Demon
Tags: Percival Io Draco Miles The Amalgam

Esmeralda shuddered.

No enemy had ever made the Siren feel such a distinct sensation of discomfort and primal revulsion. The monsters of the Bryn'adûl Empire, dangerous though they were, had been just that. Her training had prepared her for the eventuality of facing them in battle, making it so that she would remain unfazed in spite of the terrifying physical advantages they enjoyed over one like her. However, this entity was something vastly different. It was a being of a higher order beyond mere mortals like her sisters, Rebecca, and her Nuetralizer brothers and sisters, an order above even that of a Jedi or a Sith.

Unlike Rebecca, Esmeralda couldn’t conceive of any other way to describe her. What could the Brain Demon be, if not a Goddess?

"I have rescued you all from certain death. Therefore, a price is to be paid. You're really quite fortunate...you caught me all in a good mood. The Dark Side has punished Solipsis for his arrogance in trying to usurp reality. No matter what happens next the Maw will lick their wounds this day, losing so many champions...but that still leaves the issue of you three..."

"Of course, should you refuse to deal, I put you back on the Avatar...so! About your price..."

“I…” Esmeralda opened her mouth to speak, but couldn’t find the words, especially as Draco began to negotiate. The Siren found her gaze briefly pulled towards the towering reptomammal, her cerulean features mirroring the emotions Esmeralda felt, but dared not express. Without a doubt, Draco was a far braver woman than her.

It "faced" Esmeralda first...

Esmeralda tried to speak again, but could not summon the will to ask to be returned to the Avatar.

"Let's see. What shall your price be..."

Sweat beaded across her forehead.

It "stared" at her.

She felt her muscles tense, as if her entire form had suddenly turned to stone.

"I need a someone to run an errand to the very heart of Ession. It concerns the biological father of Xiphos."

The Siren’s eyes went wide, almost with disbelief. A fetch quest into enemy territory? Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all…

Right?

Spoiler: Loadout

• FAE/A-04 “Apsara” Ultralight Combat Armor
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • L86 Pisces Compact Beam System - L
    • Wide-Beam Sonic Stunner - R
  • Undersuit
    
    • UL-14 "Virtus" Class Underlay
  • Energy Shield
    
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
  • Thighs
    
    • FAE/MDW-01 Active Defense System (2) - L/R
      
      • Seeking Anti-Warhead Nano Missiles - L
      • Pink Vapor Nano Missiles - R
  • Utility
    
    • Morðingja-class Personal Cloaking Device
• FAE/sW-01 "Shatterpoint" Machine Shotgun
  
  • 8 Round Box Magazines - 10 Gauge Slug
  • 8 Round Box Magazines - 10 Gauge Seismic
• PbDR-01 N.S.
• FAE/M-01 “Scherezade” Energized Vibroblade
• Class-A Thermal Detonator (4)

 

[Draco Miles]

Goddess or demon this dragon seemed to not give a damn! Especially when it came to these negotiations, the brain demon seemed to be taking advantage of their pasts and exploiting their deepest fears and desires… especially threatening Rebecca’s child. Kinda Fethed up If you ask her… so why not distract and throw in a wildcard?

She snapped her fingers, like a master catching the attention of their dog, an act of pure defiance and straight disrespectful.(on the day of her daughter’s wedding no doubt) Interrupting like she was in Ace Attorney, shouting OBJECTION!!!

“Ay, I got a propositions for ya. Teleport them to my ship on the edge of the battlefield, and I’ll stay here to negotiate a deal on their behalf. A Sith can conduct much more than a neutralizer, don’t you think? I did save most of the ones in here after all. Sounds like a deal?”

The time to act was now! Then Draco could think about what she just subjected herself to, though having a more direct deal than some convoluted “embrace the dark” crap was much more tolerable

Percival Io Esmeralda Io The Amalgam

 

[The Amalgam]

"No, I'm afraid. No weaseling your way out of this. The price is the price. Decided for each individual. None can negotiate on behalf of others." The Brain Demon replied to Draco Miles . "And as I have already stated, you have accepted my price, Draco. You'll just have to live with that."

The Brain Demon really must have been in a good mood, because anyone else who did that Diva Snap would have had their mouth vanished like John Wick when he tried to give Elrond lip.

Then it turned back to Rebecca...

"Ohhhhh... you're a brave one...yes... willing to die for a cause. Someone like you is too valuable to ask some bullchit price of. You're much more useful...as an acolyte...

It pointed to Rebecca. "Rebecca Hahn, mother of Thel Hahn. Your very bravery singles you out...Your price...you must become a member of my Cult. A Witch like The Battalion. Or The Amalgam..."

It teleported next to her, clutching Rebecca's chin, gently.

"Your price, essentially, is a glorious destiny in The Bogan. In many ways, it can be considered a reward.

(Cutaway of J. Jonah Jameson laughing Uncontrollably)

Wow was that burning Elmo gif appropriate or what?

Esmeralda Io

Percival Io

 

[Percival Io]

Rebecca’s blue eyes widened. The faceless Togruta’s hands were cold as ice and her words burned like fire.

"Your price...you must become a member of my Cult. A Witch like The Battalion. Or The Amalgam..."

“No,” Rebecca finally choked out a protest. “I won’t. I belong to the Church of the Force. I won’t worship you or the Bogan.”

She backed away from the Demon, shaking her head. Deep down she knew it was useless to resist, but she… she could go down fighting, at the very least. For her sake, and for Thel’s sake, and for Percival…

The Brain Demon would have to force her to join the Cult. Just as it had forced Elaine Tear to become the Battalion and coerced Leejun Forrwiirmeni into becoming the Amalgam, it would have to have Rebecca Hahn absorbed and assimilated into the fold.

The Amalgam Esmeralda Io Draco Miles​

 

[Esmeralda Io]

Location: Realm of the Brain Demon
Tags: Percival Io Draco Miles The Amalgam

Her obligation seemed easy, at least on the surface. There was a small chance that her price might be even more costly than Rebecca’s, though Esmeralda thought it unlikely. The Brain Demon had specifically called out Rebecca for her bravery and willingness to die. In a way, it almost made Esmeralda feel guilty for not being capable of making the same sacrifice. Here stood a woman who was willing to die for House Io even knowing that her son would be left orphaned, to be cared for by a stranger. She was braver than any of them, that much was certain, but that thought pulled her mind in another direction…

Rebecca’s son. What would befall him if his mother were to fall to the Cult? Would he be used as fodder for sacrifice? Not to mention, there was no telling what changes Rebecca might undergo from the loving mother she was now. Could she attempt to kill her own son? The thought immediately horrified the diminutive Siren.

Since she was the one who had prevented Rebecca from meeting the heroic death she had earned on the Avatar of War, Esmeralda decided that she owed it to her to keep her son safe.

“Sister…I’m sorry…” Esmeralda began. “For not letting you die on the Avatar.” She continued. The content of her words might have seemed passive-aggressive under different circumstances, but the Siren’s tone was sincere. Esmeralda sensed that Rebecca would have preferred death over a fate such as this.

“If you would let me, I’ll take care of your son…should you fall to the Cult.”

A 1-year old young adult strand-cast taking care of a 1-year old child? Surely, nothing could go wrong with that! But the alternative might prove even worse…

Spoiler: Loadout

• FAE/A-04 “Apsara” Ultralight Combat Armor
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • L86 Pisces Compact Beam System - L
    • Wide-Beam Sonic Stunner - R
  • Undersuit
    
    • UL-14 "Virtus" Class Underlay
  • Energy Shield
    
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
  • Thighs
    
    • FAE/MDW-01 Active Defense System (2) - L/R
      
      • Seeking Anti-Warhead Nano Missiles - L
      • Pink Vapor Nano Missiles - R
  • Utility
    
    • Morðingja-class Personal Cloaking Device
• FAE/sW-01 "Shatterpoint" Machine Shotgun
  
  • 8 Round Box Magazines - 10 Gauge Slug
  • 8 Round Box Magazines - 10 Gauge Seismic
• PbDR-01 N.S.
• FAE/M-01 “Scherezade” Energized Vibroblade
• Class-A Thermal Detonator (4)

 

[Draco Miles]

Bruh… hmm… well, I guess this could be a win for Draco… just be oblivious, how would she know when to abandon the light and embrace the dark?

She seemed taken aback, typically a demon or devil is known for wanting to renegotiate and take more, especially from someone craving power, but there’s always exceptions.

She was left there completely powerless watching Rebecca and Esmerelda get much more easily understood bargains, and was grateful that at least her own seemed easy. While Esmeralda’s certainly sounded fun, venturing into the Ashla crusade to sabotage things and all that, Rebecca’s just sounded absolutely horrible. Pledging one’s soul to this abomination… sucks, massively.

Percival Io Esmeralda Io The Amalgam

 

[Esmeralda Io]

Location: Realm of the Brain Demon
Tags: Percival Io Draco Miles The Amalgam

It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t fair.

Rebecca had done everything right and yet, she was the one who was forced to suffer the highest price. Esmeralda immediately felt an overwhelming surge of guilt. It was a nice gesture to offer to protect Rebecca’s child, but it wasn’t enough. The Siren had to do more or else she wouldn’t be able to live with herself, even if she condemned her own soul to the Nether in the process.

Esmeralda took a deep breath, before glancing back to her sister.

“I will take Rebecca's price!” The Echani blurted out as she stepped forward, demanding that the Brain Demon acknowledge her presence.

Spoiler: Loadout

• FAE/A-04 “Apsara” Ultralight Combat Armor
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • L86 Pisces Compact Beam System - L
    • Wide-Beam Sonic Stunner - R
  • Undersuit
    
    • UL-14 "Virtus" Class Underlay
  • Energy Shield
    
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
  • Thighs
    
    • FAE/MDW-01 Active Defense System (2) - L/R
      
      • Seeking Anti-Warhead Nano Missiles - L
      • Pink Vapor Nano Missiles - R
  • Utility
    
    • Morðingja-class Personal Cloaking Device
• FAE/sW-01 "Shatterpoint" Machine Shotgun
  
  • 8 Round Box Magazines - 10 Gauge Slug
  • 8 Round Box Magazines - 10 Gauge Seismic
• PbDR-01 N.S.
• FAE/M-01 “Scherezade” Energized Vibroblade
• Class-A Thermal Detonator (4)

 

[The Amalgam]

The Brain Demon gazed upon Esmeralda Io ...

"Big of you to offer, really, but no the Brain Demon said, somewhat impressed by Esmeralda's bravery. "But look on the bright side!"

A portal shimmered into existence, showing The Avatar of War exploding.

"You see...it wasn't all for nothing! The Avatar is destroyed. The Maw's defeat is overwhelming. They have not only lost Solipsis, but they have also lost the Fatalis, many of their most powerful champions, and now their planet killer. Your actions helped to save uncounted billions...far more than you will ever take as a Cultist, Rebecca... however, I will permit you both 'small' mercy, so the bitter pill goes down easier..."

It leaned into her ear, shadowy tentacles wrapping around Rebecca's body, holding her in place.

"I'll let you keep your Love for your Son. Everything else is to be warped to my liking..."

A black portal shimmered open and The Amalgam stepped through, smiling at Rebecca like she had just made a new friend, which, according to her own twisted perspective, she had.

"Dear Rebecca..." The Amalgam hissed, dead purple eyes glittering with dark elation, crossing the space between them in seemingly an instant.

"You are are about to cross the threshold into glory!" The Amalgam said, putting her hands on Rebecca's face... "Your soul shall see the true nature of things! Are you ready?" the Witch asked eagerly.

 

[Percival Io]

Esmeralda first offered to take care of Rebecca’s son. The idea of losing her child, the one thing she had left from her old life, twisted the knife. Then, perhaps realizing how much responsibility such a vow would entail, Esemeralda attempted to offer herself in Rebecca’s place. For a fleeting moment, Rebecca selfishly hoped the Brain Demon would accept the trade. But the offer was almost immediately refused.

The Brain Demon showed them the Avatar’s destruction, and claimed that not only had the battle for Tython been won, but Darth Solipsis was dead. It was the kind of grand victory they could have only dreamed of. But the cost was great. Perhaps too great—though Rebecca was certainly biased in that regard, seeing as she was about to suffer a death of personality.

As the Brain Demon seized Rebecca, pinning her in place, she fought the urge to scream. Even in her sealed environmental suit, she could feel the cold Darkness that emanated from the shadowy tentacles. One of the appendages removed her helmet, exposing Rebecca’s long Titian hair, which had been plaited and pinned up so as not to be in the way.

The Amalgam appeared from a portal. When she touched Rebecca’s face, the woman came close to biting her hand out of pure spite.

“You won’t get away with this!” Rebecca ground out between clenched teeth. “Xiphos won’t tolerate you turning her Citizens into Witches! You’re making a big mistake!”

A terrible thought occurred to her. Maybe the Brain Demon had been doing this for a while now, right under Xiphos’ nose. Maybe the people she turned into Witches were able to blend in, appearing normal until they were called upon—or maybe they sacrificed their families and wrote it off as casualties sustained in battle. It was possible, especially in House Io, where everyone was expected to go to war and fight…

If that were the case, then Xiphos wouldn’t do anything about it. She wouldn’t even know it had happened—or maybe she wouldn’t want to believe it, given that she was married to a Witch. A Witch that had also been turned against her will.

The power of the Cult was truly terrifying, and Rebecca had no recourse to stop them from doing as they wished with her. Nothing save suicide. At least she would still have Thel…

"Dear Rebecca, you are are about to cross the threshold into glory! Your soul shall see the true nature of things! Are you ready?"

Despite her attempts to maintain some semblance of dignity, Rebecca let loose a bloodcurdling scream of horror and rage and anguish before the end.

The Amalgam Esmeralda Io Draco Miles​

 

[The Amalgam]

"Ah, Fear! Anger! Hate! Suffering!" The Amalgam gushed, Dark Power building. The flesh on her face shuddered as she clasped Rebecca's face.

"All excellent points to start from when it comes to The Dark Side! I'm impressed! You didn't even need me to teach that part!"

The Amalgam grinned.

"Now..." she hissed, focusing..."Let's get to that fifth stage after the first four you just experienced..."

The Amalgam violently absorbed Rebecca's life force, devouring and breaking down much of what made her human but leaving that love for her son intact, as The Brain Demon had promised.

Rebecca's body rapidly mummified and then turned to dust. Every second of being chewed up and spit out in the Amalgam's spiritual furnace had been blinding, white hot agony meant to scour away empathy and compassion.

The flesh on her face shuddered and bubbled again, rippling hidiously as what was left of Rebecca was forcibly meshed with copies of the Amalgam's most vile personas before infused into the tissue of her face, which now detached, and soon fell to the ground from the Amalgam's head, which exposed white blood and rotting yellow muscle.

The blob of flesh that had been her face continued to grow and bubble, taking on a humanoid shape that eventually shape-shifted into Rebecca's form, while the Amalgam's head eventually regrew it's face.

"Open your eyes dear. You are the combined might of the dozen I have put into you...tell me...what is your title?" The Amalgam asked.


OOC: Brain Demon titles all reference something that implies a multiplicity


Draco Miles

Alessandra Io

Percival Io

 

[Esmeralda Io]

Location: Realm of the Brain Demon
Tags: Percival Io Draco Miles The Amalgam

Victory.

Esmeralda watched with wide, yet disbelieving eyes at the sight of the Avatar of War’s fiery destruction. She initially refused to believe that it was true, not only since she didn’t trust the Brain Demon, but also for the twisted irony of it all. Were these monsters really supposed to be House Io’s allies, sharing their victories, defeats, and community? Surely, the Cult would have fit in better with the Maw, where they might find kin amidst such evil, chaotic actors. Nevertheless, in spite of her disbelief, the Siren sensed that it was true…

Was she a heroine now?

That question was left unanswered as dark tendrils seized Rebecca before a black portal opened, through which none other than the Amalgam stepped through. In an instant, the Witch closed the distance and placed her wicked hands on Rebecca’s face, compelling Esmeralda to act in order to protect her family, even if doing so might prove futile.

Esmeralda willed her body to move, intending to pull her shotgun from its place on her back so that she could shoot the Witch in her face. Instead, she found herself frozen in place by a spell that caused her muscles to tense, while her eyes were locked onto the scene playing out between Rebecca and the Amalgam. All the while, the dancing avatars closed in around her, their movements beautiful, yet perverse, graceful, yet macabre, and dazzling, yet repulsive. One of the avatars even began to gyrate her hips against her body, while another took off her helmet, revealing pale skin that was gushing with sweat as the Siren sought to break free from the spell that held her in stasis.

“Look upon your sister as she ascends!” One of the avatars whispered in her ear as Rebecca’s form was mummified and turned to dust, before being reformed. “Isn’t it beautiful? Doesn’t it make you jealous? Such power that she’ll command! Such beauty! I know how badly you wanted it for yourself, but…” The avatar gripped Esmeralda’s chin and forced the Siren to look directly into her faceless visage.

“Rest assured, the Brain Demon has other plans for you, dear.”

Spoiler: Loadout

• FAE/A-04 “Apsara” Ultralight Combat Armor
  
  • Gauntlets
    
    • L86 Pisces Compact Beam System - L
    • Wide-Beam Sonic Stunner - R
  • Undersuit
    
    • UL-14 "Virtus" Class Underlay
  • Energy Shield
    
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
  • Thighs
    
    • FAE/MDW-01 Active Defense System (2) - L/R
      
      • Seeking Anti-Warhead Nano Missiles - L
      • Pink Vapor Nano Missiles - R
  • Utility
    
    • Morðingja-class Personal Cloaking Device
• FAE/sW-01 "Shatterpoint" Machine Shotgun
  
  • 8 Round Box Magazines - 10 Gauge Slug
  • 8 Round Box Magazines - 10 Gauge Seismic
• PbDR-01 N.S.
• FAE/M-01 “Scherezade” Energized Vibroblade
• Class-A Thermal Detonator (4)

 

[Draco Miles]

Oh sweet baby Jesus and mother Mary! What in the Sam hell did she just witness?! Lost in her thoughts for only a moment, she turned and watched as Rebecca turned to ash and immediately flared with anger, almost erupting into an inferno of rage as the scutes along her tail and back began glowing a radioactive blue, seconds away from losing her cool and trying to fight a demon in their own realm… ‘course thankfully she got the better of herself and took a deep breath. Now was not the time to act, to open up now would be like opening a soda that just went through a paint mixer. Calm and collected, there’d be time to act later, much like how she thought when she escaped Mustafar, she had to strike at the perfect time, and that time would eventually come.

What would her master think of this? Did the entire matriarchy allow such horrid things like this to happen to their citizens? So many questions… yet she thought to answer them herself. Of course Countess Belasko wouldn’t allow this, there had to be a way to revert this, to revolt against this… demon, and wipe it from existence.

Tags! Percival Io Esmeralda Io The Amalgam

 

[Percival Io]

Naked as a newborn, the duplicate of Rebecca lay curled up on the ground. Her flesh was flawless and utterly devoid of battle scars. A halo of her hair was spread out around her head, a splash of orange in the shadows of the Brain Demon’s realm.

The original Rebecca’s environmental suit had fallen in an empty heap nearby, the body within having crumbled to dust. All that Rebecca Hahn was, all that she had been, now resided inside the new host.

Along with a legion of other souls, each one fighting for their own interests.

For now, they functioned as one. At the Amalgam’s command, she opened her eyes. They were as blue as ever, but there was something missing. A conscience to bring order to the disorder. Behind her gaze was chaos.

"Tell me… what is your title?"

“The Deluge,” the new Witch replied. Kneeling before the Brain Demon, she asked, “What is your bidding, my goddess?”

The Amalgam Esmeralda Io Draco Miles​

 

[The Amalgam]

The Brain Demon cackled as the title was announced.

"Your purpose is to serve as the one the House talks to when it's citizens want to make deals with me."

The Amalgam was overjoyed. She always felt good at "saving" a soul.

A burst of black flame and a customary white catsuit and saber staff appeared on the ground before The Deluge.

The Brain Demon turned to face Esmeralda Io , frozen in place.

"Your task is not so arduous as it may first appear. The heretic Themis is under cover there is she not?"

A black Portal opened.

"That way leads to Khemost. Your prices have been extracted. See you someday, Draco!" The Brain Demon called out to Draco Miles .

The Amalgam was practically skipping through.

"When you're ready, Deluge!" Amy called out to the Woman Percival Io loved before vanishing into the portal.

"And remember, as bad as your price may seem, I could have made it so very much worse..." The Goddess hissed. "But revel in your victory, for it was provided to you by the Darkness..."